OT: Farewell to Madeleine L'Engle & Luciano Pavarotti

Who hasn't read "A Wrinkle In Time?" For many kids who grew up in the '60s through the present, this was perhaps the only sf book they'll ever touch. For others, it was among the first they read. Madeleine L'Engle passed away today at 88. Because she was a fantasist and a Christian, she is often compared with C.S. Lewis and JRR Tolkien, but "Wrinkle" and its sequels were classics in their own right. Our loss, heaven's gain.

Does anyone else think it strange there hasn't been more made of Luciano Pavarotti's death? America isn't an opera-loving nation, and frankly I'm not an expert on opera either, but he was as big a star as anyone from the opera world could ever get. He was in commercials. He guest starred on t.v. shows. He even starred in a (terrible) movie called "Yes, Giorgio." A decade ago, he was still a star as part of the succesful Three Tenors tours and albums. In recent years his health declined and his voice wasn't quite as good as it used to be. In fact he had been planning his farewell/retirement tour at the time he was diagnosed with cancer. Nevertheless, he was a superstar in an era where there were fewer superstars from the traditional arts. It's a bit sad, really.